


A Demon's Love

by Alshoruzen



Series: Demon Verse [1]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fantasy, M/M, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-24 08:38:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8365396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alshoruzen/pseuds/Alshoruzen
Summary: Shinichi is the new detective at the magical crimes division and Kaito is the demon he's made a contract with to help him on his cases. It's only natural that life is weird. KaitoxShinichi





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my Different Suns collection on FF.Net.

Kudo Shinichi, twenty one years old, looked down at his new badge, a sense of pride swelling in his chest.

"You begin tomorrow," Inspector Megure told him, smiling kindly at the boy he'd watched grow up. "Welcome to the team."

"Thank you." Shinichi bowed before taking his leave, feeling like he was walking on air. Starting tomorrow, he would be a detective working with the magical crimes division of the city's police.

He had just stepped out of the station when a familiar voice greeted him. "I take it from that smile that everything went well?"

He frowned, looking up into a pair of indigo eyes. "Why do you keep showing up? The contract was that you're supposed to come when I call you."

The newcomer laughed, reaching out to ruffle Shinichi's hair. "Of course, but it doesn't say anything about me not coming when you don't call me."

Shinichi opened his mouth then shut it again. If he hadn't still been holding his new badge, he would have buried his face in his hands.

As a wizard, he had the power to bridge the wall between dimensions and summon beings from those dimensions into his own. These beings, known to most as demons, were entities of great power who could do things humans could only dream about. They had to take on physical shapes when they appeared on the material plain. Most preferred the shape of humans, and it could be almost impossible to tell the difference between a human and a demon in the shape of one unless it let you. Their physical bodies opperated the same way as whatever life form they were emulating, only with a few enhancements depending on their whims. Most demons developed an attachment to a particular form and appearance over time. Some had played such important roles over the course of history that their pictures were in the textbooks.

Wizards worked by making contracts with demons with a variety of abilities and knowledge.

This particular demon went by the name Kuroba Kaito. He was tall and wiry, with wild hair that always looked windswept and eyes a peculiar shade of indigo. The first time Shinichi had met him, he'd been stunned by the strange resemblance between their faces, but he'd gotten used to it by now. It helped that the more time he spent with Kaito the easier it got to spot the differences so that by now he forgot about the similarities more often than he remembered them.

Even now, Shinichi wasn't entirely sure how he'd ended up working with this particular demon.

Kuroba Kaito was famous for being an enigmatic demon with both an unparalleled knowledge of history and lore and unmatched skills in magic. He was also known for being very selective about the wizards he deigned to work with. And so Shinichi had been understandably surprised when Kaito had sought him out (on top of everything else, it was odd for a demon to be able to appear on the material plain without a wizard's powers). At the time Shinichi had been looking in vain for information about a particularly rare, magical herb someone had been using to knock out their competitors in a sports competition his university was participating in. Shinichi had already found the culprit, but no one knew how to counter the effects of the herb. No one but Kaito anyway.

The thing about demons, though, was that they never did anything for nothing, but what each wanted in payment differed from individual to individual. Some were as fond of gold and jewels as many humans were, others fancied certain foods, some demanded you answer riddles or play certain games, the list went on. Kaito, however, was different.

The contract he'd set forth and Shinichi had hesitantly agreed to set the method of payment to be negotiated depending on the information requested from him. That first time, all he'd asked was that Shinichi eat lunch with him.

Shinichi hadn't realized at the time that he had somehow signed away his privacy. Kaito came and went as he pleased, and their contract meant that he always knew where Shinichi was. On the bright side, the demon had proven to be good company. Even so, Shinichi would have appreciated it if the demon could learn how to respect his personal bubble.

"Hello~. Anyone in there?"

Blinking at the hand waving in front of his face, Shinichi blushed. "Sorry. I'm supposed to start tomorrow."

"Cool. I'll come with you."

"…"

-0-

He'd finally found Shinichi again.

He knew that most other demons thought he was a bit strange for developing such an attachment to a human, but he rather thought that he had found something they had all missed.

There was nothing quite like the feeling of being with someone you loved. The joy of seeing them smile, and the rich contentment of being able to hold them in your arms…

Most of his kind scorned the very idea of caring for others. They saw attachments as weaknesses. The problem was that, in their long existence, it was impossible not to develop attachments of some kind. Many became fixated on things like gold and jewels and other such frivolities. They argued that such things lasted, but from Kaito's point of view that was about all the stuff had going for it. Sure it was pretty and shiny and he collected them on occasion himself, but in the end it was just a rock or a hunk of metal. They couldn't hold conversations or make you laugh. They couldn't respond to your stories or return your affections. Yet those poor wretches doted on those lifeless rocks for centuries on end like human mothers over their children.

It was laughable, really, in an almost pitiable way.

For his part, he'd always found humans to be an entertaining species. They were always changing and coming up with new ideas. They were fun to mess with too. So he'd spent much of his time watching and playing with them.

And then he'd found Shinichi.

The first time they'd met, Shinichi had also been a detective. It didn't seem to matter how many lifetimes went by, his little detective always gravitated towards law enforcement. Anyhow, that night Kaito had happened to be present when a pair of robbers who'd murdered a merchant and his daughter decided to make a break from the police and Shinichi had instantly run after them. Curious to see how things would end, Kaito had followed. It turned out one of the robbers was a nervous man who didn't hold up well under pressure. He had suggested to his accomplice that maybe they should turn themselves in. The other robber hadn't liked that idea. He'd decided to tie up loose ends by killing off his partner in crime. He didn't succeed, however, as Shinichi had darted in and pushed the cowardly robber out of harm's way, getting a knife slash across the shoulder as he was at it. At that point the cowardly robber had completely flipped out, shoved his savior into a pile of empty crates, and ran. The crates tumbled down on top of Shinichi, leaving him in a daze and at the mercy of the second robber, who was now quite incensed.

And that probably would have been the end of the detective that life, but Kaito had decided to step in. He'd never liked cowards, and it really didn't strike him as fair that the detective was about to get killed because he'd tried to help one.

That, and he had been intrigued by the boy's actions. In Kaito's opinion, if the robbers had offed each other, it would have been everything they'd deserved. So why would anyone go to the bother of trying to help one? Chasing them down to bring them to justice, he understood, but they would've been slated for the hangman anyway.

To satisfy his curiosity, he'd trapped the angry robber in a binding spell, set up a trail of lights to lead the guards to him, and taken the half conscious detective back to his residence of the time.

It was the first time he'd actually made friends with a human. It was because of Shinichi that he'd decided he should try and actually get to know more of them. He'd found many a rewarding friendships after that. There had been a feisty little girl called Aoko among others, but Shinichi continued to be special. Yet it wasn't until he'd almost lost him that Kaito had realized just how important the detective had become to him.

To make a long story short, they had become lovers.

They had spent several happy years together before time and mortality had taken Shinichi away from him. He'd known it would happen, but he hadn't expected it to hurt as much as it had. The thought of never being able to look into those beautiful, blue eyes again for the rest of eternity had been utterly unbearable. So he'd gone to Akako, the demon fortune teller. In return for a favor, she had given her word to point him in the right direction to find his beloved each time the cycle of reincarnation turned. The actual finding would have to be done by him, but he didn't mind. It was more interesting that way.

Kind of like a treasure hunt.

The fourth time around he'd almost missed Shinichi, as his detective had been reborn as a girl that time. He had felt drawn to her, but having forgotten that humans didn't always reincarnate the same, he'd spent some time wondering if his dedication was really so easily swayed. Fortunately, he'd realized the truth just in time to rescue her from the two-faced bastard who'd been trying to seduce her. No wonder Akako had been sniggering when she gave him his directions that lifetime. They'd even gotten married that time. He still had both their rings (although he had to admit that he didn't entirely understand why such ceremonies were such a big deal for humans. As far as Kaito was concerned, you either were in love or you weren't. Having it officially declared didn't stop humans from falling out of love or having affairs, etc. Indeed, for many humans it just seemed to be one more thing to fight about or otherwise cause problems. But it had made Shinichi happy, so he decided it had its good points too). He made sure to be more alert after that.

He was rewarded when he found Shinichi much earlier the next time around. So he'd adjusted his apparent age and they'd grown up together. It wasn't until they were partway through university that he revealed what he was to Shinichi. That had certainly been fun. He smiled at the memory.

So many experiences, every one of them entirely unique and more precious than any gemstone could ever be. Of course, love had its own price. It never stopped hurting; those times when mortality took his Shinichi away from him, but that only meant that he had to cherish what time they did have. He wouldn't let a single moment go to waste.

-0-

Inspector Megure looked from Shinichi to his taller companion and back then blinked. "And who is this?" he asked, confused.

"Oh, uh, this is—"

"Kuroba Kaito," the stranger cut in, bowing. "You must be Megure."

Shinichi coughed, blushing faintly. "He's my—"

"Partner," Kaito interrupted again.

"What? I thought that was supposed to be me?" the dark-skinned officer standing nearby wondered aloud. He had just recently joined the force as well, and he was fairly sure he'd been told yesterday that he was going to be Shinichi's partner. He wasn't sure why his perfectly innocuous question got him a chilling stare from the indigo-eyed man. The look was gone as soon as it appeared, but it left him with the great desire to run away and hide. "Uh…"

"He's a demon," Shinichi hurried to explain. "We've worked together on a few cases—" He was cut off again.

"I'll be helping him."

The other officers watched in mixed confusion and amusement as Shinichi smacked a hand to his forehead and Kaito gave them all a sunny smile that nevertheless conveyed the message that any attempt to stop him from doing as he pleased would be a terrible idea. It certainly looked like life was going to be taking an interesting turn.

-0-

It didn't take long for the entire police division to realize how true that sentiment was.

They had worked both with and against demons before, but none of them had ever met a demon quite like Kuroba Kaito. He was a cheerful prankster with a wicked sense of humor and keen eyes that missed nothing. He was friendly and quick-witted, and by the end of the week he had won over just about every officer in the force, including the ones who usually distrusted demons. He didn't exhibit any of the disdain that most of his kind reserved for humans, and he actively took an interest in the goings on at the station. He wasn't above lending a helping hand in small matters that he could easily have dismissed as unworthy of his skills and knowledge (though in return they had to keep the station well stocked in hot chocolate, but that wasn't a big deal, and just about everyone liked chocolate anyway). All in all, everyone agreed that it was a stroke of luck that he'd decided to join them.

And he was always teasing Shinichi.

Like now. The young detective had been assigned a case regarding flesh-eating flowers that someone had been spreading in a local neighborhood. It being a very rare species, he had turned to Kaito for help figuring out how to track down and get rid of the seedlings. They had been able to uproot all the grown plants, but they kept popping up because the seeds spread far too easily.

"I can find them," Kaito had replied with an easy shrug before giving a sly smile. "But you know we demons never do anything for nothing."

"Fine. So what do you want?"

"How about a kiss?"

Shinichi gaped, momentarily lost for words. "What?! No!"

"Aw, come on. It's just one little kiss." Placing one hand on the back of Shinichi's chair, he leaned over the seated detective and watched the color deepen in the boy's face.

"Are you like this with everyone you've worked with?" he half squeaked as he leaned as far away from the demon as he could manage at the moment.

"Of course not." The fiend in question had the audacity to laugh before leaning down so that his mouth was right beside Shinichi's ear. "Just the one I love."

As Shinichi turned ten times redder than he'd already been, Kaito laughed and vanished. Oh Shinichi… It had been six lifetimes now, but it seemed he never changed. There were times every now and then when Kaito wished that, for once, Shinichi would remember, but humans were simply unable to retain memories from past lives. Besides, this way had its perks too, like being able to do things for the first time all over again.

The following day, all the man-eating seedlings appeared in a magically sealed box in the middle of the police station.

Hattori, who had witnessed the whole exchange the day before, couldn't resist asking Shinichi, "So does that mean ya gave 'im that kiss?"

Shinichi choked on his coffee. "No!" Although he hadn't been able to escape a peck on the cheek. That, however, was a piece of information he was keeping to himself.

-0-

It had been a raid on a gang that had been selling cursed items throughout the city. People with grudges, greedy heirs, the jealous, and more bought the curses for their own malicious plans and the number of mysterious deaths had spiked. It had taken a lot of hard work to track down the gang members and even more to locate their headquarters. Now the police were storming the building that was supposed to be a high-end restaurant but was in reality a nest of vipers.

Shinichi had been in the thick of the raid. Having seen firsthand the victims of several of those curses, he had been determined not to let a single member of the gang escape justice.

He'd always been much better at defensive spells than offensive ones because his desire to protect people rather outweighed his desire to cause harm, but he'd always been excellent at stunning spells. Armed with that, he'd managed to knock out quite a number of the criminals hiding out in the place. The battle was almost over when he reached one of the restaurant base's conference rooms and stumbled over one of the gang's bosses. He'd recognized the man and launched a paralyzing spell at the guy immediately. The man, however, brushed the spell aside like it was nothing but an annoying fly.

That was when Shinichi realized that this gang member was a demon.

Then a blast of black energy caught him square in the chest. His memories of what happened after that were muddled and full of holes.

He remembered hearing Hattori shouting his name.

He remembered the demon's cruel smile and the gleam of fangs.

And he remembered Kaito standing protectively over him, wreathed in crackling energy.

The next time he could form coherent thoughts, he was looking up at a hospital ceiling. According to the nurse who found him awake, he had three broken ribs, one broken arm, multiple fractures, and a twisted ankle—and that wasn't even including the bruises and lacerations.

"We got 'em all," Hattori told him when he visited later that day. "Well, all except that demon anyway. But Kuroba says the guy won't be able ta make another appearance on the material plain for at least a century or two."

Shinichi made to nod but stopped with a wince as pain lanced through him. "That's good."

"He was really worried about ya."

Blue eyes blinked then looked down. "He was?"

"Yeah. After he trounced that one that got ya, he stayed right beside you and wouldn't let 'nyone near ya 'til the paramedics got there. Even then they had ta let 'im on the ambulance—froze the wheels 'til they said yes. I've never seen 'im lookin' so serious."

"Oh. I…I see."

After Hattori had gone, Shinichi lay in his hospital bed, staring at the plain, white ceiling and thinking.

-0-

"Your knight has arrived! How are you feeling?"

Blushing slightly, Shinichi coughed. He supposed he could let the comment go this time, considering Kaito really had come to his rescue. "I'm feeling a lot better."

The demon beamed. "That's good to hear. So have the doctors told you when you can go yet?"

"They asked me to stay for one more day just so they can run a few last checkups. If everything goes well, I'll be discharged tomorrow morning."

"Perfect. I'll come pick you up."

The demon proceeded to give him an update on the goings on at the police station as he'd been doing throughout Shinichi's hospitalization. From there, he went on to little anecdotes about the things he'd seen around the city. It wasn't until the time for Shinichi's next examination approached that he reluctantly got up to leave.

Before he could, however, Shinichi stopped him with a hesitant, slightly shy call of his name.

"I…wanted to say thank you," he said, not quite meeting Kaito's eyes. "For saving my life."

He was expecting the demon to make a joke, but instead a warm hand squeezed his shoulder and he looked up to see a smile on Kaito's face—an actual smile, not one of his mad grins. It was warm and gentle and made Shinichi's insides squirm and a light blush creep into his cheeks.

"You don't have to thank me," Kaito said, firm and sincere. "I would never let anyone hurt you."

-0-

Things between him and Kaito had changed after that. Or rather Kaito was his usual teasing, cheerful self. It was Shinichi who had changed. It was a feeling in his chest.

Ever since he'd been released from the hospital, he had found himself unable to think of Kaito's actions towards him as mere meaningless teasing. He was starting to realize that the demon really did care about him, but he wasn't sure what kind of care it was. It was all so very confusing. It had been easier when he could dismiss it all as Kaito having fun. Now…now he had to stop and really think about his own feelings for Kaito.

Then the dreams started and it all got that much worse.

Heat. He's burning. But it isn't painful. In fact, it's quite pleasant.

A solid heat is pressing down on him—a body pressed flush against his own. There are hands too, wandering over his skin, making all his nerves tingle with desire.

A familiar grin flashes in the haze. A voice murmurs in his ear. He can't make out the words, but he knows that voice, and it makes his heart beat faster.

There is something else too—something inside him, touching him where no one had ever touched him before. And the already intense heat grows almost overwhelming.

"Kaito…" The name leaves his lips in a moan that is all pleasure—

Shinichi woke sweating and feeling far too hot for a winter night. When he shifted, he was horrified to discover that he would need to wash the sheets. Deep crimson crept across his face accompanied by memories of the dream he'd been having.

Why the hell was he having dreams about—about that?! And such vivid dreams too.

Groaning, he buried his face in his hands. It was all Kaito's fault. He'd never felt this way about anyone before. But did that mean he really was starting to like…?

That couldn't be it, could it? How was he supposed to know? He didn't have any experience in these sorts of things! Maybe it was just the demon's antics getting to him? After all, he'd also never been the focus of such attentions before either…

What was he supposed to do? The question continued to haunt him—as did those embarrassing dreams.

-0-

"Hey Shinichi, have you heard of the Treasure Chest?"

Shinichi turned from where he'd been pouring himself a cup of coffee, not surprised to see that Kaito had let himself into his apartment again. He was too used to it by now. "I know it's a restaurant. I think Hattori mentioned that he had Kazuha ate there a few times, but I've never been there. Why?"

"I paid it a visit the other day and the food was amazing. You should go with me some time—maybe today if you don't have any plans for lunch yet."

"All right."

Kaito paused and looked at him in surprise. "Really? Do you have a new case you need help with or something?"

Flushing, Shinichi turned away in a huff. He couldn't help but feel a little hurt by Kaito's automatic assumption. "No. But if you don't want to, I'm going to make a sandwich."

"Hold it." A hand caught his arm and pulled him back, spinning him around. "I wouldn't have brought up going if I didn't mean it." His serious expression morphed abruptly into a smirk. "Besides, this is the first time you've agreed to go on a date with me. No way I'm letting you back out of it now."

"H—hey, I said we could go eat together. I never said it was a date!"

"Too late~."

-0-

"Hey Kudo! Is it true?"

Looking up from his desk in the office, Shinichi gave Hattori a befuddled look. "Is what true?"

"I heard you 'nd Kuroba've started dating. Is it true?"

"What? No!"

"But I took Kazuha out ta dinner last night and we saw ya together in the Black Pearl. I'm sure even you know that place is fer couples. Then there was last week when Takagi 'nd Satou said they saw ya both at the movies. They say Kuroba had 'is arm 'round ya and everythin' and ya weren't complainin'. Several o' the other officers've reported seein' the two of ya out together at places ya usually only see couples at over the last few months as well. So what've ya got ta say to that?"

Shinichi flushed at each additional piece of information, wondering why he hadn't noticed all these colleagues who'd purportedly spotted him on his outings with Kaito before. Were they spying on him? They wouldn't do that, would they? Or maybe Kaito had planned for them to be seen. That was far more likely.

"Um, well, I—I mean, maybe we have been…going out a little. But it's not like real d—dates or anything. It's just, uh…" He trailed off under Hattori's amused stare. The other detective obviously wasn't buying a word of it. "All right, fine, I guess we…might sort of be going out… But it's just—it's not…"

Laughing, Hattori patted him on the shoulder. "Whatever you say. It was goin' ta happen eventually. Anyhow, we got a new case. This one's big. Should be fun."

-0-

The case was big all right, but it most definitely was not fun.

It had started out as an investigation of a group dealing in dangerous magical weapons. But the organization had been much larger and far reaching than any of them had anticipated. The more they worked on the case, the more crimes they unearthed. The list had grown to include blackmail, corporate espionage, assassination, and more. They were like a disease seeking to spread into all the corners of the city and take it over from the inside. The police didn't know what the groups overarching goals were (it could be wealth, power, or maybe something more specific), but they knew those goals couldn't be anything good when considering the methods being employed.

A raid on a warehouse of magical weapons had morphed into what might as well have been a war. They'd caught some of the members, chased others—been chased by yet more. And all only to find that they'd barely scratched the tip of the iceberg.

Three officers had been killed.

Their funerals were held together. Everyone in the force had come. So had their families and friends. Seeing them—the pain in their faces… The two little children clinging to the legs of the wife of one of the officers' were the worst, Shinichi thought. The sight of that small family and the mother trying to comfort her children while holding back her own grief would be burned into his memory for the rest of his life.

The funeral left Shinichi feeling somber and gray, like the world was a weight pressing down all around him. He kept wondering if there was something he could have done—some way he could have prevented the officers' deaths. If, if, if…

A hand landed on his shoulder. "Shinichi."

He had been wandering the city streets in a daze. At the touch and the sound of his name however, he looked up to find Kaito watching him with a look of understanding. "It's cold out. You shouldn't be walking around without a jacket."

Shinichi looked away. "I don't want to go home."

"I know just the place."

Ten minutes later, Shinichi found himself sitting in a private dining room in a restaurant situated at the top of one of the city's tallest buildings. Outside the city was awash in sunset colors. Kaito had ordered them drinks and they now sat before the floor to ceiling windows, gazing out towards the horizon.

He had no idea how long they sat there in companionable silence. All he knew was that the colors were bleeding back into the world. The skies were so beautiful it made his heart ache.

"Can I…ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why do you care so much?"

"Hmm? About what?"

"Us." Shinichi waved a hand vaguely. "Humans. I know most demons think humans are an inferior species. And, well, I guess when you're around for as long as you guys are, I understand how our lives might seem insignificant. So why? Why do you spend so much of your time with us?" With me, he added to himself, not looking at the demon seated beside him.

Kaito shot him a sidelong look before turning back to the city laid out below them, a fond smile making its way onto his face. "I suppose it's because I learned a long time ago that the length of someone's life has little to do with how significant they are." Because a young detective with the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen had taught him to value all life no matter who or what it belonged to. Because it wasn't about how long life was but what you did while you were living it. He had seen some humans change the world in more ways in their short handful of years than most demons did in their centuries (but he wouldn't have seen any of it if that one person hadn't opened his eyes). "Besides, you humans amuse me. Life can get a bit boring when you're immortal."

"Don't you have…you know, friends or," he hesitated. Demons probably didn't have relatives. "I mean, aren't there any demons you want to—to hang out with or something? Someone who'd always be there."

To his surprise, Kaito laughed. "Not at all. There are a few of us who meet up now and then, but we tend to drive each other nuts when we spend too much time together. We're a stubborn lot, you know. We want what we want, and we don't like to compromise. And that's not even considering the grudges! Believe me, there are good reasons we don't hold reunions. Having one would probably bring about the end of the world."

"…" Shinichi wondered if the demon was joking, but despite his lighthearted tone he still sounded like he meant it.

"So are you feeling better?"

He glanced at Kaito at the question then nodded slowly. A faint but genuine smile made its way onto his face. "Thank you."

"Any time."


	2. Part 2

Shinichi threw himself into the investigation after the funerals, even more determined than he usually was to bring light to the affair. When he wasn't pouring over information and photographs at the station, he was running around the city, asking questions and scouring related crime scenes. What little time was left over, he spent buried in research either at one of the city's libraries or at home. Kaito was willing to bet he was even dreaming about the case during those few scattered hours when he dozed off with his head down on his open notebook.

Just like he was doing now.

Kaito shook his head at the sight. Shinichi was slumped over his desk, one arm lying across some papers and the other dangling limply. The side of his face was flat on his notebook. He was definitely going to have a crick in his neck when he woke up. And probably an aching back and shoulders too.

Padding up to the desk, Kaito scooped the detective out of his seat and carried him out to the living room bridal-style. He set Shinichi down on the couch and went to the kitchen to unpack the food he'd brought back. Filling a plate with an assortment of foods, he returned to the living room and shook Shinichi gently by the shoulder. It took a few minutes before blurry blue eyes cracked open to wander confused around the room.

"…?"

"I bought us dinner," Kaito said, sitting down beside Shinichi and offering him the plate. "I know you haven't eaten all day."

"M'not hungry," was the half coherent protest.

"Yes you are. You just don't realize it. Now eat."

Sighing, Shinichi dragged himself into a more upright position and grudgingly took the plate. A few bites later he had to admit that maybe he was hungry after all. The plate was empty in record time.

"And you said you weren't hungry," the demon teased.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Fine, I was. Happy now?"

"Yes." Laughing at the detective's dour look, Kaito took the empty plate and made it disappear with a flick of his wrist. His free hand ruffled Shinichi's hair, earning him a squawk.

"You should go to bed. You look exhausted."

"That's okay. There was a file I wanted to find first." Shinichi covered a yawn as he stood. "Thank you for the food."

Before he could take more than a step, however, a hand caught his wrist and pulled him back. An instant later, he was spun around.

"Go sleep. Now."

Shinichi stared into those deceptively friendly indigo eyes, noting the steely glint in them, then surrendered. "Fine."

-0-

Demons didn't really need to sleep. If they needed rest badly enough, they returned to their own plain of existence. Kaito wondered sometimes what it would be like to sleep. Humans always looked so vulnerable while in slumber. Were they truly as unaware as they appeared? That had to be dangerous. Considering the current case especially.

With that in mind (no, it wasn't an excuse), he had started to make himself at home beside Shinichi's bedroom window when the detective slept. Over the last few days, he'd discovered the detective sometimes muttered in his sleep (which was one reason he knew Shinichi had been dreaming about the case). He made an effort to keep his presence hidden though lest Shinichi throw a fit.

From Shinichi's bedroom window, he could see the city as it lay glittering beneath the night sky. When the skies were clear, the sight was truly a breathtaking one. It would have been better if the apartment was a bit higher up, but it was enough to keep his eyes occupied while his thoughts wandered. In these times of stillness his memories tended to rise up in his thoughts with unusual clarity. Hundreds of years of memories that he could sort through and replay in his mind. He wondered what Shinichi would say if he knew just how many of Kaito's fondest memories circulated around him.

The human world changed so quickly. It wasn't just the humans themselves. Their cities, their ideas, their stories—all of it came and went like leaves blowing by on the wind. It was fascinating yet, on occasion, he would admit to finding it disconcerting as well. At such times he liked to turn to the sky where the stars were still the same stars he had gazed upon the first time he had ever stepped onto this plain of existence. They might have shifted a little, and some had grown brighter while others dimmed, but they—like him—changed only very slowly. On nights when the stars were particularly bright, he would be tempted to wake Shinichi so that they could watch them together as they had done many times in other lifetimes long past. In some ways, it was the closest he could come to sharing his world with his detective. But he resisted the urge for now. There would be time for that when this case was over.

He'd been watching the moon when he heard Shinichi whimper in his sleep. Hopping off the sill, he hurried to the detective's side just as Shinichi began to toss.

"No…don't…" Shinichi was mumbling, face scrunching up into a frown. "…trap…don't—stop—!"

"Shinichi!" Kaito grabbed the thrashing detective. The boy immediately tried to hit him, but Kaito caught the flailing hand. "Shinichi, wake up!"

Blue eyes flew open to stare blindly at him. Shinichi jerked, trying to free himself from his captor's grasp.

Kaito only tightened his grip. "It's me. It's okay." He continued to murmur soothingly into Shinichi's ear until the detective stopped struggling.

"Kaito," he gasped, seeming to have only just realized who it was. His hand rose to grip the front of the demon's shirt. "Everyone was dead."

"It was just a nightmare."

"But it…" Blinking rapidly, Shinichi shook his head.

"Don't think about it."

"But—"

"Shh, it's okay. Just go back to sleep. I'll be right here if you need me."

Shinichi fell silent, allowing Kaito to maneuver him back into a lying down position. He didn't comment either when the demon lay down beside him and pulled the covers over them both. He only closed his eyes and began taking deep, slow breaths in an attempt to calm his own racing pulse.

Kaito remained where he was for the rest of the night. Half of him was worried at how much Shinichi was burying himself in this case. The other half couldn't help but enjoy the way Shinichi was clinging to him in his sleep. Sighing, he rubbed gentle circles on the detective's back.

"What am I going to do with you?"

-0-

Shinichi had woken up to find himself cuddling with Kaito and been mildly horrified to discover how warm and secure he felt with Kaito's arms around him. It took him a moment to remember why the demon was in his bed. And then he had a whole new set of things to be embarrassed about. He really shouldn't have let a simple nightmare get to him like that, and he definitely should have asked Kaito to leave before going back to sleep.

But since he hadn't and no amount of wishing he had would change the fact that they were both here now, he decided that—just this once—he would let himself enjoy the moment.

Snuggling closer to Kaito's warm chest, he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Somewhere over his head, indigo eyes opened and a fond smile played across their owner's lips. He'd half expected Shinichi to scream and try to kick him off the bed or fall off himself. It seemed they were making progress.

-0-

"This man is one of their leaders."

Leaning over Shinichi's shoulder, Kaito looked down at the file his detective had laid open on his desk. The photograph was of a tall man with a mane of silver hair and the cold, emotionless eyes of a shark.

"I've seen him before," the demon observed. "Isn't he one of the top executives in that company with all the wines?"

"He is. They produce and sell over twenty different types of alcoholic beverages including multiple wines. They have breweries all over the country. They also have a very large and well-developed distribution network."

"I'm guessing alcohol's not the only thing they're distributing."

"No, it's not," Shinichi agreed grimly. "From what I've been able to dig up, they've been running a hefty trade in weapons—both magical and not, narcotics, information, antiques and other valuable items of questionable origins, so on and so forth. There are several large research labs associated to them as well—some notoriously secretive. I think they might have been involved in several assassinations as well."

"Then what are you waiting for? It's not like this guy's hard to find. Shouldn't we be arresting him?"

Shinichi's shoulders sagged. "We can't. This is all conjecture. We have no proof—or at least no proof that we can bring to a court. Read these." He pulled another file from the stack he'd piled on the side of his desk and handed it to Kaito.

The demon thumbed through the files, indigo eyes taking in the information at supernatural speeds. This file contained multiple homicide cases. Every one had connections to the company, but none of them had ended in a conviction. It wasn't even necessarily that there wasn't enough evidence in every case though.

"I think some of the jurors might have been bought or threatened," Shinichi explained. His lips were pressed into a disapproving line. "Every charge that has ever been brought up against these people has failed. It doesn't help that the company leaders are all well connected."

"That just means you'll have to bring them evidence they can't refute. Find something so glaringly clear that not even the best lawyers can diminish its value and any juror would show him or herself a fool to try and argue against it."

Shinichi blinked then smiled. "You're right. The question is, where should we start?"

-0-

"I got it!"

Everyone in the station jumped as Shinichi came crashing through the doors. He headed straight for the door to Megure's office. The inspector himself straightened from a report he was reviewing with a start and blinked at the youngest addition to his team.

"Shinichi?"

"I've figured out how we're going to get him!" Shinichi threw down the hefty stack of files he'd been carrying and slapped a hand down on them with a triumphant smack. "Here! You know I've been conducting surveillance on that Gin guy, right?"

"Yes, I remember," Megure agreed, still looking confused. "But I thought we couldn't find anything."

"Nothing to directly connect him to any major crimes," Shinichi corrected. "Even the ones we know they were part of. But the other day Gin's car was caught by a traffic camera."

"You mean he was speeding?"

"Not just that. There was a hit and run about five blocks from where this picture was taken. The victim is currently in the hospital for three cracked ribs and a broken leg. I talked to the witnesses and they've all confirmed that it was Gin's car. With their testimony, we can confiscate his car as evidence."

Heiji, who had led the group of curious officers coming to see what was happening, tapped his fingers lightly on the table as he thought. "I know a hit and run is serious, but it's hardly in the same league as the stuff we know he and his chums are up to. They'll probably just settle for the payment of medical bills. These things rarely have to go to court."

"I know, I know," Shinichi said impatiently, waving Heiji away. "That's not what I'm talking about. That hit and run happened on the same night as the bombing that killed off two of the major advocates against magic merge weaponry. Charting the course the car was most likely taking and matching it up to the timeline, we know that Gin was very likely present at the bombing. Once we have his car impounded, we can search it. If we find any gunpowder residue, bullet holes, trace amounts of illegal substances—anything at all that shouldn't be there in that car, it will give us the leverage we need to apply for a search warrant."

"So start small and move up," Heiji concluded before clapping his hands together. An excited grin broke across his face. "This could really work if we're lucky. We gotta be quick though or they'll have the evidence all cleaned up before we can get to it."

"Kaito and I will head over right now," Shinichi declared. Not waiting for anyone to answer, he bolted back out the door again.

The station was left in a momentary bubble of silence in which everyone looked at everyone else. Then Hattori cursed and charged after the rapidly departing detective.

"Oi! Kudo! I'm yer partner! You're supposed ta wait for me!"

-0-

They did not find any bullet holes, gun powder, or illegal substances. What they did find was a tiny patch of dried blood in the trunk of the car where it had no excuse for being. When analyzed, it revealed itself to be the blood of a young scientist who had gone missing months ago.

The division whipped into an instant uproar of activity.

With the blood and the fact that Gin was famous for never letting anyone touch his car unless in his presence, they were able to force the courts into issuing them a warrant. Not wanting to give the company time to hide anything, they had immediately raided the building. They had struck gold as a large shipment of magic-based bombs was uncovered before they could be shipped out. The bombs themselves were found to be similar to the ones used in the aforementioned bombing.

It was like the Fates were all aligning to help them out, Shinichi thought.

By the end of the week, they had the entire company building shut down and swarming with police and forensics teams. Yet more officers were leading other company officials away in cuffs.

"You look happy," Kaito observed, materializing beside him. "You do remember that this is only a small fraction of this group, right?"

"I know that," Shinichi retorted. "But now that we've got a piece of the puzzle, it's only a matter of time before we get the rest of them. It might take a long time, but it'll be worth it."

"I suppose that's true."

"Oh, I also wanted to thank you for your help," the detective added, looking earnestly up into the demon's indigo eyes. "If you hadn't stopped them from detonating the bombs when we found them, none of us would be here right now. We couldn't have done this without you."

"In that case, how about a kiss to show your gratitude?" Kaito leered, watching the color climb up Shinichi's cheeks.

The detective shifted his weight from one foot to the other then—much to Kaito's surprise, coughed and muttered, "I guess that would be okay."

The demon blinked. "Pardon?"

Shinichi turned away. "Never mind. I'm going to go see if they need me for anything."

"Hold it!"

The detective let out an involuntary squeak as he was yanked back by the wrist. He rounded on the culprit with a huff. "What—"

He was cut off by a pair of lips pressed against his own. He stared wide-eyed into Kaito's indigo orbs. Was it his imagination or were the demon's eyes glowing?

It wasn't a very long or particularly intimate kiss, but it left Shinichi's lips tingling and his heart beating a little too fast to be normal.

"You can't just walk away after saying things like that," Kaito admonished when he pulled away, a grin playing around his mouth and his eyes dancing.

The detective couldn't answer as he struggled to recollect his scattered wits. Half of him wished the kiss hadn't ended quite so quickly. The other half shook its head at the first half and wondered just how much longer he was going to be able to fend off Kaito's advances. Then again, would it really be so bad to give in?

"Hey, you two!" Hattori came jogging up to them. "Some of us are headin' out fer a meal ta celebrate. Wanna come?"

"Alright," Shinichi agreed, glad for the distraction. "Kaito?"

"Sure. Sounds fun."

-0-

The threat arrived in the form of a letter addressed to the police. It gave them twenty four hours to release Gin and three of the other men and women who had been arrested in addition to turning over the evidence that had been gathered or they would destroy a five by five block section of the city every ten minutes after the deadline. With the letter came a photo of the most ominous contraption anyone in the station had ever seen. It was Kaito who recognized it as a magical canon. It was, according to him, a very ancient but powerful weapon that had been designed by a group of deranged scientists some three centuries ago.

"With that, they could blow up the whole city in one go if they want to," he informed them, his expression for once utterly devoid of mirth.

The top officials in the police reported immediately to the city officials and soon they were all closeted in an emergency meeting. Not being high ranked enough to be part of those meetings, Shinichi was left with nothing to do but kick his heels and fret. Frustrated and anxious, he returned home only to end up pacing back and forth through the rooms of his house.

Kaito had, per his habit, made himself at home on the couch. Shinichi was too worried to notice more than that.

The detective sat down on the armchair then stood up again almost right away. "Do you want some coffee?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow then shrugged. "Sure."

He watched as Shinichi disappeared into the kitchen before returning to his own thoughts.

If they agreed to the organization's demands and let the prisoners go, Kaito knew that Gin would come after Shinichi. From what he'd seen, he was sure this Gin wasn't the kind of person who'd let someone who'd gotten in his way go. No, he was definitely the kind of man who would get rid of the perpetrator.

In his mind, an old memory surfaced. It was the memory of a battered body lying unmoving on a stained and scratched up floor. A pale face streaked with dried blood and marred with cuts and bruises was just visible beneath a matted fringe of black hair. But the worst part was the eyes—dull and unseeing where they had once been bright and clear as the sky.

Kaito's hands clenched into fists. It was one of his worst memories. It had happened centuries ago, but he still remembered it like yesterday.

It had been Shinichi's second life with him. That time had been a particularly tumultuous era of human history. And of course Shinichi had had to be a detective and a little too good at it for his own good. He'd made a few too many powerful enemies. To make a long story short, those enemies had decided to remove Shinichi from the picture in the most permanent way possible.

He knew Shinichi liked to think that the truth always came out in the end—that justice would catch up eventually even to the most powerful of criminals. Kaito wasn't so sure about that, but he supposed it was a nice thing to believe. The problem was that whether or not it was true, it didn't account for the people involved. Justice or no justice, the truth couldn't protect one lone human being with good intentions from a group of underhanded villains with a grudge, deep pockets, and a lot of weight.

Kaito hadn't been there the day it happened because those same enemies had been smart enough to do their research. They had contracted a particularly gold-loving demon to distract him that day by starting trouble with one of their other friends.

Coming back to hear that Shinichi had gone missing then finding him like that…

When Kaito had come back to his senses, he'd found himself standing over the man he knew had paid the other demon. Or what was left of him anyway. The rest of the man's associates hadn't been much better off. He learned later that he had apparently demolished half the city as well, but he couldn't remember anything but the anguish.

"Is it really worth it?" Akako had asked him next time he'd gone to see her about locating Shinichi.

He had spent a few days thinking about it, and he would admit that he had thought that perhaps it was time to let go. But then he'd remembered the good times and the way it had felt to see Shinichi smile. Eventually, he'd gone back to Akako and told her that yes, it was worth it.

That and he couldn't leave things the way they were. He didn't want his last memory of Shinichi to be like that—wanted to apologize for not having been there, even though he knew Shinichi would tell him not to be ridiculous because it wasn't his fault.

But he'd vowed never to let such a thing happen again.

So the question then wasn't if he could do anything about this problem with the organization. The real question was how he was going to do something about it.

Returning from the kitchen with two brimming mugs in hand, Shinichi offered one to him. "Here you go."

Kaito smiled and took it. "Thanks. Sit with me?"

Shinichi blinked, a hint of color creeping into his face. Despite that, he sat down gingerly next to the demon. Kaito scooted closer. When Shinichi didn't move, he placed an arm around the detective's waist. To his delight, Shinichi leaned closer to him.

Neither of them spoke for several moments.

"Can you…do anything about the canon?" Shinichi asked, glancing up at Kaito with the expression of someone who was trying not to hope too hard.

The demon didn't answer immediately. "I'm working on it," he said finally. He would have preferred to offer a more reassuringly certain answer, but this was one situation where even he felt complete honesty was the only acceptable path.

"Well, let me know if you think of anything."

"Of course."

The silence returned.

Indigo eyes turned to study the detective. Shinichi's eyes were focused on some point in the distance, lost in troubled thoughts. Seeing that worried frown made Kaito want to kiss him and take away his troubles. He breathed a mental sigh at the thought.

Kaito considered himself a patient sort when he saw fit, but it was getting harder and harder to wait for Shinichi to finally make up his mind about them. The detective had long stopped denying that they were going out, and he clearly enjoyed their time together. He still blushed madly whenever Kaito got close to him, but he didn't protest or try to push him away anymore. He now leaned into Kaito's touches (until he realized what he was doing, at which point he tended to leap away like he'd touched a fire). He'd stopped reprimanding the demon for showing up at his place uninvited and even asked quite often if Kaito would like to stay over (but only in the guest room). In point of fact, there was every indication that he returned Kaito's affections. Yet he still seemed determined to deny any such thing even after that kiss. What kinds of reasons he was giving himself, Kaito had no idea, but it was slowly driving the demon crazy.

He wanted more (to solidify his position—reclaim that which had been taken from him), but he didn't want to force Shinichi into anything he wasn't comfortable with. Lately though, he was starting to think that maybe Shinichi needed a push.

Perhaps it wasn't quite ideal to pursue the issue with the city being in this precarious situation, but the reminder of those times when he'd lost his detective only made Kaito want to hold him more.

Well, he had always been a master of manipulating circumstances to his advantage. Now was as good a time as any to put those skills to use.

-0-

"I have a plan."

Shinichi jumped at the sudden introduction of a voice into the formerly silent room. Last he'd checked, Kaito had gone out, but it seemed the demon was back. He'd pulled out a lot of his old files, textbooks, and records and spread them out over the floor of his room, trying to find something—anything—helpful. So far he hadn't had much luck. That being said, he met Kaito's declaration with a sense of relieved expectation.

"Did you want me to call in and see if they'll see us at the station?"

"I've already told them," Kaito replied, wandering over to plop down on an empty patch of floor beside Shinichi. "That's where I was earlier."

Now the detective was confused. And, though he wouldn't admit it, he felt a little…neglected. Why would Kaito go share his idea with the station before mentioning it to Shinichi?

"Well, are you going to tell me about it then?" he asked.

Chuckling at the sulky note in his detective's voice, Kaito laid an arm across his shoulders. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to leave you out of it. It's just a bit time sensitive, and I'll need your help with the preparations, so I thought I'd at least get us an okay before the authorities lost their heads and bowed to the threats."

"So I take it your plan doesn't involve releasing the prisoners."

Kaito snorted. "Definitely not. But it is going to be tricky. You see, this particular weapon absorbs energy from the things around it. That's why it's so powerful and hard to destroy. However, there is a limit to how much power it can hold. If I can get to it—the police are working on pinpointing its exact location for me now—and hit it with enough power to overload it, it should cause it to self destruct."

"Can you really do that?"

"They gave us twenty four hours, right?"

"Starting from this morning at ten, yes."

"Then yes, I can. But like I said, it's going to take some preparation. If I don't do this just right, the city's going to get blown off the face of the planet."

"Can I help?"

"As a matter of fact, you can." Kaito's serious expression morphed suddenly into a smirk that set alarms off in Shinichi's head. "You see, while this can be done, I can't do it entirely by myself. I can draw power from the night when it comes, but I will also need to borrow some of your energy."

Shinichi blinked at him, confused. "I…guess that makes sense. But can you do that?"

Kaito's grin grew wider as he turned his head to brush his lips lightly over the shell of Shinichi's ear. "Oh, it's easy. We can do it right now."

Shinichi shivered, his thoughts scattering momentarily, resulting in a highly intelligent, "Huh?"

That earned him a low laugh. Warm breath tickled his ear. A hand brushed over his knee, slid up his thigh and under his shirt—

"W—wait," he stammered, jerking out of Kaito's loose embrace and scrambling away backwards like a crab. "Wha—what are you doing?"

"I'm helping you like you asked me to—or I will be anyway. Like I said, I'll need to borrow some of your magical energy. The fastest way to do that is through physical contact."

"B—but I… You didn't say—!" The protest came out in a panicked squeak as Shinichi's back came up against the bedstead. "C—can't we talk about this?"

"Nope. We have a deadline, remember?"

"But—!"

"Now, now, you want to save the city, don't you? So be a good detective and stop complaining. I promise I won't hurt you." The demon grinned down at him. It was a predatory grin that would have been right at home on the Big Bad Wolf.

Shinichi blushed and raised his hands to Kaito's shoulders, intending to push him away. But the demon caught his wrists and leaned in to trail his tongue up the side of Shinichi's neck. The detective's breath left him in a gasp as he shivered at the sensation. Memories of his dreams flashed through his mind.

A hot tongue plundering his mouth—strong hands gripping his hips—

He hastily shoved the images away like he should be shoving Kaito away. Yet he couldn't seem to bring himself to do so.

Teeth nipped at the shell of his ear accompanied by a warm breath. "I know you want to."

"D—don't be ridiculous," he stammered, turning even redder (kissing was one thing. The intention he could see in Kaito's eyes was another thing entirely). The protest sounded weak even in his own ears. The problem was that Kaito was right. And he could see in the fiend's smirk as he pulled back that he knew it too.

Kaito took the opportunity while the detective was distracted to lift him onto the bed and move to pull his shirt up.

"Hey!" Snapping back to the present, Shinichi made to swat the sneaky hands away. By now his face didn't feel so much flushed as on fire.

Instead of dislodging Kaito's hands, however, he somehow managed to get his own caught. The next thing he knew, Kaito had pinned his wrists above his head and secured them to the headboard.

The bonds looked like they were made of nothing more substantial than smoke, yet try as he might Shinichi found that he couldn't break free of them.

Giving up, he stared wide-eyed up at Kaito.

The demon leaned down close to his face, his mad grin softening into a gentle smile. "Tell me you really want me to stop and I'll go away,"

He pulled back and Shinichi blinked. He realized that Kaito was serious. Shinichi opened his mouth then shut it again. Somehow, the knowledge that Kaito did care what he thought about it all made it difficult to just say no (especially when most of him didn't really want to—in fact, had been yearning for just this for months despite his efforts to deny it).

The position he was in didn't help either. The sight of Kaito there between his naked legs (where had his pants gone?!) made his heart race, and he was mildly mortified to realize that it was from excitement.

Flashes of the dreams he'd been having danced through his mind again, not helping in the slightest.

Did he want this? At that moment, all thoughts of the case and the city had vanished from his mind. All he was focused on was Kaito, this moment, and that aching desire he'd been trying to strangle for ages. He couldn't deny there was attraction anymore, at least. But how could he ever know for sure if it was more than that? Could he?

Ah! He couldn't think with the way his heart was pounding.

He swallowed, making up his mind. Meeting Kaito's expectant gaze, he took a deep breath and nodded. He could think about how stupid he was being tomorrow.

Kaito didn't need to be told twice.

A hot mouth caught Shinichi's in a searing kiss that left the detective breathless. He was still gasping for air as Kaito moved to lick and nibble his way down his neck.

Deft hands made short work of the buttons of his dress shirt, pushing aside the halves to explore the slim body beneath. They were followed by a hot mouth intent on marking every inch of skin it could reach. Shinichi squirmed, letting out a quiet moan. The sound made Kaito smirk.

Finding the detective's nipples, he nipped and sucked at them in turn until the sensitive nubs were hard. Shinichi's body arched under him as he tossed his head to the side, delightful little whimpering noises escaping from his lips despite his efforts to hold them in. Kaito silently pledged to himself that he was going to strip away every last shred of his detective's reserve and have Shinichi screaming his name by the end of the night.

Working his way down, he left a trail of hickeys across Shinichi's pale chest. He took his time, savoring the taste of the detective's soft skin. Finally, he reached Shinichi's arousal and smirked. He lapped at the tip and laughed softly when Shinichi gasped. He trailed his tongue along its length before taking it into his mouth. Shinichi moaned loudly, eyes squeezed shut as that burning mouth sucked and that wicked tongue swirled and stroked. The tension in his body was building, and he didn't know how long it would be before it would have to be released.

But then Kaito had shifted and was kissing and biting at the sensitive skin of his inner right thigh and he groaned, half in disappointment and half in pleasure at this new sensation.

Gripping the back of the detective's knee, Kaito bent the leg up so that he could explore more of the pale, supple skin. Having left his mark on one thigh, he migrated to the other, determined not to neglect a single inch of his detective's delectable body. There was always something special about the first time in any life. It wasn't so much a reunion as a rediscovery and a renewal of the bond between them.

Pushing the detective's legs further up and to the side, he grinned and ducked down.

"Kai—" Shinichi started to ask only to cut himself off with a squeak when something soft and slick touched his entrance. He couldn't see but he didn't have to to know it was a tongue. The wet muscle lapped and swirled and stabbed, sending Shinichi into a fit of breathless mewls that went straight to Kaito's cock.

Pulling back, he eyed the wet ring of muscle for a moment, pleased at the way it was twitching with desire, before he pushed two of his fingers past it and into the tight heat beyond.

Shinichi's breath hitched as his muscles clenched reflexively, trying to get rid of the intrusion. In response, the fingers began moving: in and out, in and out. With each thrust, they moved in further. Soon they were pushing against his inner walls, rubbing and stretching. It felt weird and yet he couldn't seem to stop the little gasps and moans of pleasure that were beginning to make their way out of his mouth.

He groaned in a strange mix of discomfort and approval as a third finger wormed its way in to join the others, stretching him even more. He had started to move his hips to meet each thrust of the fingers, eagerly trying to take them in deeper. Then abruptly the fingers slid out of him completely and he whimpered at the sudden emptiness.

"Kaito," he whimpered, squirming and tugging at his bonds.

"Don't worry, my dear," the demon said soothingly, tone husky and full of promise. "It's only the beginning."

From beneath half lidded eyes, Shinichi watched as Kaito shifted into position, all thoughts of anxiety or uncertainty completely forgotten (though he did wonder when Kaito had discarded his clothes). He spread his legs a little wider and bent his knees to give Kaito better access.

He felt the tip of Kaito's hardness press against his entrance and a twinge of uncertainty returned, but by then it was too late. It was pushing into him slowly but surely, and all he could do was moan.

Kaito let out a moan of his own as he felt himself being engulfed by the detective's tight heat. How long had he been waiting for this moment? Too long, he decided, and he had to remind himself to take it slow. After all, no matter how many times they had been together in other lifetimes, to Shinichi this was still entirely new.

Breathing in quick, shallow pants, Shinichi closed his eyes, feeling tears prickling at the corners. Every muscle in his body was taut with pleasure tinged with discomfort.

It was hot and it pulsed. He fancied he could feel it in his very being, filling him completely. The invasion was painful too, but he found he didn't care—it was real. This wasn't a dream. A quiet whimper escaped his lips. Definitely not a dream.

He'd thought his dreams had been realistic, but they were nothing compared to reality after all.

Part of him couldn't believe it was all happening. The other part—the bigger part at the moment—was relishing it (in some ways, it might even be a relief to finally be meeting those feelings he'd been having head on).

His thoughts stumbled and lost coherency as Kaito began to move again, pulling out and rocking back in.

The friction made Shinichi gasp. He was acutely aware of every movement of Kaito's hard length inside him. Every slow pull and thrust made his nerves tingle and he tugged ineffectually at his bound hands, grasping at the air. He felt like Kaito was gently prying him open and reaching in to touch his most sacred places. At the same time, the demon's calloused hands soothed over his burning skin, distracting him from the pain while searching for sensitive spots to exploit.

As he grew more accustomed to the intrusion, he found himself moving to meet each thrust, wanting to feel more (which Kaito was all too eager to give him). The pace quickened, building gradually into a passionate frenzy.

Caught up in the heat and the rhythm of the moment, he found himself admitting that he really had wanted this.

This closeness—

Like Kaito was reaching right down deep inside him—like they really were becoming a single entity. A tiny part at the back of his mind wondered why it all seemed so…familiar. So right… Tingling waves of fire and pleasure danced along his nerves.

Unable to stand the stimulation any longer, he came with a cry. Relentless, Kaito continued to thrust into him in deep, hard strokes, hitting that spot that sent sparks across his vision again and again. He found himself mewling as his back arched, and he could feel himself getting hard again.

It was almost too much to bear yet not enough at all. Kaito's name tumbled from his lips between gasps and wordless cries.

His entire world had shrank. All he could think about was Kaito.

The sensation as he came again was even more intense than it had been the first time. As his body clenched with the overwhelming surge of pleasure, he heard Kaito make a deep, almost feral noise as he too came. He could feel Kaito's hot essence spurting inside of him, filling him until it seeped from his stretched entrance. The sensation sent pleasant aftershocks shuddering up his spine.

They lay there for several moments in silence, bodies entwined, basking in the afterglow. Once he'd caught his breath, Kaito shifted and pulled out of the detective lying docile under him. He smirked when Shinichi let out a quiet moan at the movement.

Blue eyes blinked groggily at him. "Kaito, you're leaving…?"

The demon's smirk softened into a smile as he leaned over to give Shinichi another kiss on the lips. They lingered there for a moment before he pulled away reluctantly. "I would love nothing better than to make you scream my name all night, but I did promise I'd save the city. We can always pick up where we left off tomorrow." Reaching over, he freed the detective's hands from their bonds. "Now you just stay here and let me take care of everything." Placing one last, affectionate kiss on Shinichi's forehead, the demon disappeared.

Shinichi let out a soft sigh, suddenly noticing how tired he was. He lay there boneless and still panting lightly. It felt as though every ounce of energy had been sucked right out of his body.

The last thought that crossed his mind as he closed his eyes to sleep was that parting kiss. That last kiss had been soft and full of tenderness. Dare he even say love?

Had he been wrong then? Could demons actually love? Kaito had claimed to quite a few times, but he'd never heard of a demon falling in love before. But maybe that didn't mean they couldn't. He didn't have the energy to ponder the question now though.

-0-

Shinichi woke to the first streaks of sunlight seeping in through the cracks in the shutters. The room was empty. He spent a long moment staring up at the ceiling. What…happened? The memories returned in broken fragments. He had asked Kaito if he could help with the city's situation… He shot bolt upright and regretted it immediately as every muscle in his body protested the sudden movement. He was sore all over and his bottom was in pain. A hot flush spread across his face and down his neck as yet more memories poured themselves back into his protesting mind. He had…they had…

Maybe it had been one of those stupid dreams? But no, dreams didn't leave you sore in the morning.

Nor did they leave hickeys, he observed upon examining himself in his scrying mirror.

His first reaction was annoyance that he would have to wear something with a high neck. His second was that that was the wrong first reaction. He should be upset. How could Kaito just do that to him with no warning? More importantly, why hadn't he told Kaito to stop when he'd been given the chance?

He really needed a bath.

Climbing carefully out of bed, he stood up. His knees felt wobbly. Certain other areas protested too, but he was trying not to think about that.

Gathering up some clean clothes, he headed into the bathroom.

His thoughts were a whirling jumble.

If he was honest with himself, he liked Kaito. And had liked him for a while. Kaito had become so much of a part of his life that the thought of him ever leaving made his stomach clench and twist. He just hadn't wanted to think about it as anything more serious than a meaningless attraction because he didn't believe Kaito's antics could really have anything to do with real love. Affection, yes, but not love. But, well, what if he'd been wrong?

Closing his eyes, he let the warm water flow over him, easing the tension in his muscles.

If he stepped back and looked at all the moments he'd spent with Kaito without any presumptions about what demons could or couldn't feel, he found that he had to admit there was real feeling there. The warmth in those indigo eyes when Kaito teased him and the fierce protectiveness he'd displayed those times Shinichi had been in danger… Those emotions had been real. Far more so than he had previously allowed himself to admit.

He was left with only one possible conclusion; Kaito really did like him.

Of course he'd already figured out that much. It was just that liking and romantic love were still different.

So was it love? Kaito had said it was. Shinichi hadn't even considered believing him before, but now…

Now, he found himself thinking that maybe it was real after all.

A mixture of relief, happiness, and dread washed through him. Relief, because he'd finally found answers, happiness because maybe it was okay for him to like Kaito too, and dread because he didn't know if he was ready for any of this to be happening at all.

And he was kind of annoyed that Kaito had used the city's plight for leverage. He was so getting a long, long lecture on ethics for that one.

-0-

"Yo!"

Shinichi leapt back at the unexpected greeting, crashing into the closed door of his bedroom. "Kaito!"

"That's me," the demon agreed, broad grin firmly in place. "So how was your day?"

"It was fine." The detective crossed his arms and leveled him with a flat look. "But that's not important. You have a lot of explaining to do."

"Did you get a new case you need information for?"

"No! I meant about—about yesterday."

Kaito cocked his head to one side, one eyebrow rising. "What is there to explain? Everything went exactly how I said it would. Did the police not give you the lowdown?"

"That is not what I'm talking about."

The demon gave him an innocent look that fooled no one. "I saved the city, didn't I? That magic canon's not going to bother anyone anymore, and I left the organization members all neatly lined up for the police to collect too. Wasn't that what you wanted?"

"I—well, yes, I did, but that's not what I meant and you know it!"

"It's not?"

"I'm talking about—you know…" Unable to say it, Shinichi waved a hand at himself, that traitorous flush beginning to rise. "When you…me—I mean…"

Kaito watched him squirm a few seconds longer before pretending that he'd just realized what the detective was referring to. "Oh that. You enjoyed it, didn't you?"

Passionate moans filled the air as they rocked together—

A hard heat pulsing inside him—

"That's not the point," he said hastily. "You lied to me. You said you needed to do—do that to borrow my energy, but I looked it up and it's not true at all."

"It wasn't a lie," Kaito objected. "My kind are able to take energy from other life forms through physical contact."

"Which has nothing to do with needing to be—intimate."

"Oh, is that what this is about?" The demon looked enlightened. "But it's much more fun that way, isn't it? I know you thought so too."

"I didn't!" He didn't know if he was shouting at the demon or himself. Exasperation and embarrassment warred for control of his facial features.

"Oh?" Kaito's voice lowered into a purr. "That wasn't what you said last night. You were begging me not to stop."

Wrapping his legs around his lover to keep him close—

He huffed. "I did no such thing."

Hopping off the desk chair he'd been reclining in, Kaito wandered over to stand directly in front of Shinichi. Catching his gaze and holding it, he leaned in until his lips were only a hair's breadth away from Shinichi's. He smirked.

"Forgotten already?" he murmured, watching the color rising in the detective's cheeks. "You know, a detective can't afford a faulty memory. Here. Let me refresh it for you."

Shinichi was just too cute for his own good, he mused. But hey, he wasn't complaining, and soon Shinichi wouldn't be either.

-0-

"This is it, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?"

Shinichi sighed but didn't move from where he was lying half tangled in the sheets with his head resting on Kaito's shoulder. "I really am stuck with you."

"Yep, and don't you forget it." The arm around Shinichi's middle tightened possessively. "I thought you would have known that by now after six lifetimes."

The detective's brows furrowed. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"It wasn't nothing. You said something about lives…?"

"I'll tell you about it someday."

"But—"

"Sleep, Shinichi. You still have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow to wrap up the case. And remember, this was only one branch of the group. There are probably more out there. We got rid of the cannon, but they might try something else in the future. There's more to this than underhanded ways of making money. You'll need to be awake to deal with all of it."

Shinichi huffed, but he really was too tired to argue. For now anyway. But he intended to get answers about what he thought he'd heard someday.

Looking down into the detective's dozing face, Kaito wondered what would happen if he really did explain. He had often wanted to… Well, perhaps he would, one day. But right now what mattered was that they truly were together again.


End file.
